Reporters' Seminar Focuses on Fire Disaster Prevention
By Nnamdi Duru
Fire disaster and how to prevent it topped the agenda of the Nicon Insurance Corporation-sponsored seminar for insurance reporters in Lagos earlier this week. The management of the company which did not hide its concern over the series of economic losses resulting from fire accidents across the country, believed that the mass media has an important role to play in the prevention of fire disasters across the nation.
The former Managing Director of Nigeria Reinsurance Corporation, Mr. Ogala Osoka who chaired the first session at the seminar stunned participants when he classified fire into two and drew a distinction between 'friendly fire' and 'hostile or unfriendly fire'.
According to him, friendly fire could be used to described any fire deliberately kindled for a specific purpose, stressing that this type of fire should be confined to a particular area. He described hostile fire as one that has escaped from from its area of confinement.
He stated that fire is universally accepted as an insurable accident and insureds could be indemnified for losses arising therefrom. He stressed that most properties lost to fire accidents were not insured including market and agricultural farm fire accidents.
He advised insurance professionals and the industry to show more interest in fire accidents, insured, insurable or not because according to him, every fire disaster depletes the wealth of the nation.
He maintained that the industry's interest in both uninsured and uninsurable risks arising from fire accidents should be limited to their prevention, an exercises which involves acknowledging the existence of such risks, their evaluation and education of the populace on how to prevent these occurences. With this, he emphasised that risk management goes beyond insurance with the latter being an integral part of the former.
Earlier in his presentation on "Fire Waste in Nigeria - The Role of Insurance", Mr. Darlington Mgbojikwe, Managing Director of the Lagos based Chartered Loss Adjusters Limited observed, "fire waste is a loss to the economy and in a country like Nigeria, relying so much on large importation of general goods for consumption and development, concerted efforts should be made to minimise its effects".
He summed the causes of fire accidents as "carelessness" and listed its causes as careless disposal of lighted cigarettes stub, misuse of electrical apparatus, electrical wiring defects and overloading of electrical sockets. Other causes according to Mgbojikwe are misuse of gas cookers, refueling of lighted kerosine lamps and cookers, storage of flammable substances in dwelling houses, arson and sponstaneous ignition.
In another presentation titled, "Fire Insurance Documentation and Claims Administration, the Role of the Insured", Mr. Godwin Onumbu, Deputy General Manager of Nicon Insurance explained that fire insurance policies indemnifies for only losses resulting from fire accidents, lighting and explosion of boilers and gas used for domestic purposes. These he said exclude earthquake, volcanic eruptions, spontaneous fermentation or any process involving application of heat and bush burning.
He stressed that for the policy to cover special perils including riots and malicious damage, storm, tempest and flood as well as impact by road vehicles or animals could be made possible on special arrangement.
He emphasised that under fire insurance, the insured has major roles to play in effective management of insurance contract and claims administration.
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